By Jonty Ralphsmith
Talk about a day out.
Keysborough’s Yohan Arumadura decided Saturday was his day in DDCA Turf 2, scoring a blistering 169 off 132 before getting five wickets and two catches to steer his side to an upset 135-run victory over Narre Warren.
Arumadura capitalised on captain Christo Otto’s decision to bat first, opening up with Jonathan Mohamed before a 94-run stand with Jacob Hennigan.
He crunched 22 fours and two sixes, dismissed in the final over once he had helped his team to a score of 5/280.
“He went ballistic,” said president Daniel McConville, who played in the game.
“He was 80 off 88 balls and as soon as he got over 100, all the shots came out, ramps, reverse sweeps, he literally took the piss out of the bowling lineup to be honest!”
After starting the season in the middle-order, he looked dangerous last week at the top but was unable to go on with it, but his knock this week was chance-less as he took the long handle.
Through the innings, the centurion pulled fast bowlers, hit the gaps in front of square, and got down on one knee against the spinners in a masterful display of power, skill execution and precision.
“It was incredible to watch,” McConville added.
“I have been at the club for six years and it would be the best innings I have seen – I’d nearly put it as the best innings I have seen in my whole cricket career and I’ve played for nearly 20 years.
“The bowlers literally had no idea what to bowl to him because anywhere they were bowling, he was hitting them everywhere.”
With the ball, the juxtaposition of his figures, fellow tweaker Otto underlined how well he bowled.
While Otto went at almost eight runs per over, opening the bowling for a four over spell, Arumadura went at less than a run a ball when the Narre batters were trying to slog to get towards the mammoth total.
The offie got a wicket in his first over, that of Cameron Dinger who looked in good knick in making a brisk 32.
Arumadura claimed four more scalps, including two ‘bowled’ dismissals which completely bamboozled the batters, to finish with figures of 5/39 off his seven overs.
The visitors went at an excellent run-rate in pursuit, but the need to slog led to a consistent loss of wickets, preventing them mounting a charge for victory, dismissed for 145 inside 23 overs.
The result is a positive one for Keysborough, as it is the second consecutive week they have gone at better than four runs per over throughout the innings without substantial contribution from star batter Otto.
